Hucknall bee keepers buzzing after donation from county councillor

Coun Lee Waters (Ash Ind), who represents Hucknall South on Nottinghamshire Council, has donated £300 from his county councillor divisional fund to allow the Nottinghamshire Beekeepers Hucknall Teaching Apiary – which is on an allotment at Hucknall Cottage Garden – to purchase extra hives and accessories.

Janet Bates, from the Nottinghamshire Beekeepers Association, which is based in Hucknall, said she and her fellow beekeeper were very grateful for the donation.

She said: “Thanks to this grant, we have been able to purchase some extra hives and accessories to accommodate the extra colonies we have acquired this year.

"We have also invested in some specialised equipment to enable us to raise or own queens and improve our stock.

“We took over the overgrown allotment in the autumn of 2018 and with the help of volunteers the brambles and nettles were cleared.

"Initially we had four colonies of bees on our ‘bee garden’.

"The number of colonies was nearer to 20 at the height of the season this year.

"The apiary has changed beyond recognition with the work of our many helpers who have sown, mown, weeded and planted.

"That’s in addition to looking after the bees, of course.”

The main purpose of the teaching apiary is to improve the beekeeping skills of novice and more experienced beekeepers, in particular, by working towards the British Beekeepers Association (BBKA) practical exams.

Ten beekeepers have been assessed and passed the Basic Certificate and three beekeepers have passed a more advanced assessment on bee health this year.

Coun Waters said: “I was delighted to visit this great group on their allotment and hear all about their significant growth over the past year.

"More and more Hucknall residents are getting involved and it was great to support their work with this funding.

Beekeeping is a great hobby and it’s great that this excellent work is happening in the heart of Hucknall.”

The group also hold practical sessions for complete beginners and have had many beginners attend sessions this year as a follow-on from theory courses.